Pop Belly

Pop Belly - Feed the pigs till they pop

Pop Belly is a game that you won't stumble onto in many places. It is made by a company called Simply Fun who only sell their games through their website and through home parties (think Tupperware, but a lot more fun).

The people behind Simply Fun are very passionate about play. They understand the critical relationship between play and learning, and how spending time playing games with family and friends can strengthen bonds and build fond memories. They have a great website and have a section that links to multiple articles about play. While I understand their passion and applaud them for their commitment, I do wish that they would make their games more widely available to the public. They don't advertise or sell on Amazon, Walmart, Target, or in toy stores. To buy a game, you have to visit their website or go to one of their parties. And before you can visit their website, you have to hear of them! So hopefully by blogging about them, I can steer other folks their way. Simply Fun games, like Pop Belly, are whimsical, well-made, and often have unique and fun pieces.

The goal is to feed the pigs and then be the first one to leave the barnyard (move off the game board). All farmhands (players) participate in the feeding, and as the pigs eat more and more their bellies will eventually pop, helping the farmhands advance.

To set up the game, give each player one pawn and 20 of the same color feed chips (small bingo type chips). Snap the bellies on the pigs. The five different bellies each hold a different amount of feed chips and snap on underneath the pig. They can be a little tricky to snap on, so you may end up doing that part if kids have problems.

Players begin by feeding two chips to a pig of their choice. Mix the pigs up and place one on each colored blanket on the game board (pink, orange, green, black, purple). The pigs are hard plastic and they have a slot on their backs that make them look like small piggy banks. All players place their pawns at the barn door on the game board. The first player throws both dice. The number die will show how many feed chips to feed two different pigs. The color die will match a blanket color and that will be one of the two pigs you will feed. The other pig you feed is your choice. You cannot move the pigs in any way while you are dropping the chips in the slot on their backs to feed them. Players take turns throwing the dice and feeding the pigs until a pig pops his belly, meaning the belly falls off and all the chips inside spill out. All players collect any of their color chips that fall out and they advance around the game board one space for each chip. By advancing around the game board, you are getting closer to leaving the barnyard and winning. The player who popped the pig collects his chips, but does not advance on the board. Snap the belly back on the pig and keep playing until someone advances all the way around the board, leaves the barnyard, and is declared the winning farmhand. 

The purple and the black dot on the color die both look the same color to me. I can tell the difference because the black dot is centered just right and the purple dot is printed more to one side. The numbers on the number die are 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5. The game is based mostly on luck, with maybe a little strategy involved when remembering which pigs you have fed and choosing which pig to feed. As the game progresses you will have to try and remember which pigs hold a lot of chips and which holds a few, and which ones you have fed. There are only 18 spaces between the barn door and winning, so the game may not last long enough for you to apply strategy.

Try this:

• Forget the game, just have fun with the pigs. Hold the pig in the non-dominant hand and count as you drop the feed chips in with the dominant hand. How many will the pig hold before it pops?
• Place several feed chips at the base of the player's fingers and ask him to push them out to the fingertips, one at a time, and feed the pig.
• Place the feed chips flat on the table top. After throwing the number die, pick up the chips, one at a time, and squirrel them into the hand. Then push them one at a time to the fingertips to feed the pigs.
• Allow the player to hold the pig in the hand while feeding if he does not have the skills to place the small feed chip into the hole while the pig is freestanding. Remember not to hold the pig in such a way that you will block the belly from dropping out the bottom if he is fed too much.
• Cup the hand before throwing the dice. If this is difficult, place a small ball in the players hand to form the cup. Remove the ball and add the dice.
• Recite "This little piggy..." while the player is shaking the dice to keep the palm cupped in that position a little longer.
• Model and encourage a well rounded web space as the individual feeds each chip into the pig.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual memory, eye-hand coordination, coordinated use of both hands, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, palmar arch development, separation of two sides of the hand, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Barnyard game board, five pigs with 5 snap on bellies, 4 pawns, 80 feeding chips (20 for each color pawn), number die, color die

If you are interested in purchasing this game, you will need to go to the SimplyFun web site by clicking the link below (or check ebay).

Walk the Dogs

Wash My Pants

Wash My Pants - Simple laundry themed game.

Interesting thing, the name of the game on the box in the image above (from Amazon) is Wash My Pants. My box front, which appears to be the same game, says Wash My Underpants.

When I first saw the box I thought Wash My Underpants was a pretty tacky name, but then wondered if it might be a game to teach kids about sorting laundry. Nope, it's a simple game with a laundry theme. I'm glad they changed the name. I cringe at the thought of a parent asking a child what they did in OT today, getting that response, and wondering what was going on. Unless you are actually working on doing the laundry, that would, and should, raise some questions. So from here on out I am going to just call them "pants".

There are 36 pieces total, six different shapes and six of each shape. None of them match in color and design. All pieces are made of a coated, sturdy card stock.

Object: 
Be the first person to fill your laundry basket with nine pair of clean pants. 

Set up: 
Place the washing machine front on the stand and turn all 36 pair of pants face down on the table. Give each person a clothes basket card. Distribute the pants evenly between all players. Players turn all their pants face-up. 

Play:
Each player, in turn, will start his turn by spinning the spinner to find out what he will be doing. Here are the options on the spinner:

• Color block - red, green, purple, yellow, pink, and blue. One space for each color. If you land on one of these colors and you have a pair of pants with that color, place them into the washer.
• Star - If you land on this space you can trade one of your pair of pants for someone else's. Not sure of the purpose of this. Maybe so that you will have a set ready to play.
• Bubbles - There are three spaces with bubbles and if you land on one, yell "Wash my pants!" Then take out any pants that are in the washer and place them on your basket card.

Keep playing until one person has filled his laundry basket with pants and is declared the winner. Because of the way the spinner is made, it works best when it is sitting flat on the table, but you can also use it with two hands.

Try this:

• Sort the pieces by shape.
• Play in conjunction with teaching another skill such as dressing, putting dirty clothes into a laundry basket, or doing laundry.
• Use smaller wooden clothespins and clip pairs of pants onto the side of a box or across a cord you have strung.
• Play a cooperative game and fill all four laundry baskets together, taking turns with the spinner. Place the pant pieces flat on the table and pick them up where they lie, without the aid of pulling them to the edge of the table.
• Isolate different fingers to flick the arrow on the spinner.
• Make a nice O in the web space before flicking the arrow on the spinner.
• Place the pant pieces upside-down (color side up) on the playing surface. Pick up each piece and turn it in-hand to orient it right-side up for placement in the basket.
• Place all the pants randomly on the table top, color side up. Describe a piece and ask the player to find it. For instance, find the purple pants with the purple dots.
• Place all the pants randomly on the table top, color side up. Sort them by color. For instance say "Let's wash all the yellow pants first" and ask the player to pick up any pair of pants that has yellow in them. You could stand the washer in the box and put each color through the hole (they will land in the box) while putting the game away.
• Take turns trying to throw the pants into the hole in the washer.
• Line up the four baskets and sort by color. All pants with green in one basket, all pants with blue in another, etc.
• Place all the pants randomly on the table top, color side up. Put the pants away by color. Call a color (or use the spinner to determine the color) and see how many pairs the player can pick up in one hand, squirreling them into the palm as they go. Drop them into the box by handfuls.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, isolating fingers to thumb, web space development, coordinated use of both hands, social interaction skill, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  In the box: 4 laundry basket cards, 36 pairs of (under)pants, 1 washing machine and stand, 1 spinner  

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.